After I posted the page for the WLS New Years Day
event I started tracking down some more information about the young fellows
tinkering with the hi line loco. I was able to track down Bernard
Rosenthal since I had his moms business card and he was kind enough to send me
information about the other fellows. A follow up message to Alex
Karnes, who it turns out, I have meet a number of time before.
However, as young people tend to do, he has matured so much that I did not fully
recognize him on New years Day although I had the strong feeling I knew
him. He was kind enough to return my message to him and, with his
permission I present here that message and photos. It is heartening to see
that there are indeed young people interested in mechanical things beyond what
is seen on the screen of a video game!

Errol Groff--

Its so good to speak with you again, as I am quite certain that we have actually
bumped into each other a number of times before! I am Alexander
Edward Karnes, amateur live steam model builder and collector, steam engineer
for the shows at Mystic Seaport, Steam engineer and boiler fireman at the NEWSM, engine
restorationist at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum and locomotive
maintenance-shop worker at the Essex Valley Railroad in Connecticut, among other
things.

Its good to actually talk to you, so here goes.
I have been obsessed and involved with steam power before I could read. The
first book I learned how to read from was Colin Garrat's "World
Encyclopedia of Locomotives". I grew up on the EVRR in
Connecticut before we moved out of the state when I was 7 years old,
to Massachusetts. My home town was Mystic, and I still consider it my home
town as I feel I truly belong there whenever I go back. The first steam
exhibition I particpated in was the Antique Marine Engine Expo at the
Mystic Seaport, and it was there I made my friends in steam power, and to tell
you the truth my only friends. Don Favell, Raymond Hasbrouck, Dick
Boucher, Russ Steeves, Scott Noseworthy, Gregory Young, David Bono, Robert
Merriam and others. Scott Noseworthy, organizer of the show, was quite a
nice fellow to me from the get go and saw my ethusiasm even though I must have
been only thirteen years old. The following year they had me running
engines there, and now I am a regular who takes charge of the line of steam
engines while the others go fetch donuts and coffee. I stumbled upon
the NEWSM by accident, and it was the best accident to ever happen. Robert
Merriam and co. there did the same thing Scott did for me in Mystic, and
now I can take the throttlevalves of the biggest engines in the engine
house, as well as be trusted to single-handedly fire and manage the main
boiler.

I live off of steam power, there is nothing I enjoy half so much as working
hands on with engines, which is why I tend to stay away from places that only
let you watch. I built a little live steam sternwheeling barge named
"Vulcan" which I always bring to Mystic. One thing I have wanted
all my life is a live steam locomotive, the Atlantic you saw my friends and I
testing is one that I got via a mortgage and a long restore.

Sadly, at the house steam test on eight feet of track the locomotive ran fine,
but when I dragged it to Waushakum she developed a leak in her front
tube-sheet around one of the flue joints, and this is something I cannot easily
repair if at all. Don Favell has suggested I try gently expanding the
flue, which I will do. However if this treatment does not work, I really
have nowhere to go with an otherwise fine and good running steam locomotive
that I poured four months into restoring.

The friends you saw with me were Bernard, Jimmy Connor and Colt Stewart. Bernard
and I are basically mental carbon-copies of eachother, traction fans of any
steam and early electric, as well as any other steam powered appliance from the
monstrous Kempton Engines to the smallest worthington waterpump.
Jimmy Connor is a younger member of Waushakum who is rather new to live steam,
and sadly has not quite gotten the hang of taking care of an engine yet, he is
very impatient. Colt Stewart and I are best friends and partners in steam
operation, we met six years ago in the cab of a working steam locomotive and it
has been a rewarding and fun partnership ever since. Bernard, Colt and I have
been told we are exceedingly well versed in steam theory and study modern
refinements to steam engines such as compounding, anti-friction bearings, GPCS
fireboxes, thermic syphining, semi-watertube boilers and high velocity
smokebox exhaust such as the Lempor. We study the work of L. D.
Porta and David Wardale religiously, and I myself have penpals in far off
nations which keep me updated on the welfare of local steam locomotives.
There is nothing that concerns me more than some obscure little derelict 4-8-2
up on a hillside in South Africa. I dont get nearly enough steam
to satiate my thirst for it, either.

I had attended to come to the NEMES meet, but I have missed it for two years
because of an incorrect calendar and the second time because of a death of
a friend. Two people I know in NEMES who have been very good to me
are Russ Steeves and Dick Boucher. Russ lets me run his superb Fitchburg
Mogul at Waushakum, a real privelege and treat. Dick Boucher has shared
invaluable information on steam power with me in the past. Paul Poole and
I are the best of friends as well, and more than once I have helped him steam
and run around on his gigantic mallet "Skookum".

On the side I am a fan of early wireless transmission and electrical equipment,
full sized and model aviation namely Rigid Airships, of which I intend to build
a flying model of one day. I also am very interested in sail and steam
driven watergoing vessels. I am a lantern collector, and an operational
collector. Nothing I obtain sits on a shelf for very long, it gets
repaired and put into service as it was intended for.

I am also an artist of the things I love. Enclosed are photographs and
drawings that I have done and taken.